Lydia traces her path from therapeutic bodywork to civic tech, naming the skills of therapeutic presence, grief literacy, and community grounding. Julie shares a live case study in emotional composting—letting an old Instagram presence die to re-root elsewhere—and together they reframe “regulation” as aliveness, with simple anchors like feeling the ground and predictable rhythms. If you’re navigating emergence, risk, burnout, or moral injury, this one’s a steady hand on your back.

Highlights

Design as intention + alignment (not extraction)

Hallin’s spheres & why edges matter for culture change

“Regulation” → Aliveness (and why words shape bodies)

Composting projects, platforms, and identities

Positive deviance: learning from outliers inside constraints

Anchors & rituals for times of systems-level upheaval

Guest

Resources mentioned

Daniel Hallin: Spheres of Consensus/Legitimate Controversy/Deviance

Design Justice Network principles

Joanna Macy: The Work That Reconnects

Lydia’s Open House (Dec 5): Transmuting Burnout & Moral Injury into Shared Dreaming & Tender Confidence

00:00 – Cold open & welcome to Empathy by Design

01:06 – What “design as intention” means across relational, systemic, and personal layers

03:05 – Meet Lydia Hooper: from therapeutic bodywork to human-centered design and civic tech

06:32 – Healing-centered strategy & therapeutic presence as portable skills

09:58 – Emergence vs. job titles: being many things in a transactional culture

12:24 – Hallin’s Spheres: consensus → legitimate controversy → deviance (and why creatives work the edges)

16:47 – Complexity literacy: holding the both/and without collapsing into binaries

20:13 – Why “regulation” can subtly enforce suppression; reframing toward aliveness

23:45 – Design thinking’s expansion/convergence tension—and how convergence can shut down generativity

27:28 – Composting practices: Julie’s story of retiring an Instagram and re-rooting elsewhere

31:02 – Grief as a design input; learning from ecological & climate grief work

34:36 – Positive deviance 101: strengths-based outliers and solutions inside constraints

38:50 – Risk and emergence: noticing where you already take risks (body, habits, relationships)

42:15 – Anchors & rituals: “the ground is clarifying” (feet, routines, predictable rhythms)

46:20 – Public creators, identity shifts, and letting past work live on without you

50:05 – Emergence ≠ disruption: rooted, relational change vs. move-fast-break-things

53:18 – Listener self-inquiry prompts for seasons of change

56:00 – Invitation: Lydia’s Dec 5 Open House on transmuting burnout & moral injury

58:10 – Where to find Lydia & closing reflections

Connect

Find Lydia Hooper on LinkedIn

Learn more about Design Justice Network & The Work That Reconnects

Join the Dec 5 Open House 

If you enjoyed this episode: share it with a friend who’s composting an old chapter and leaning into aliveness. 🌀.

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Here’s a single, merged narrative you can drop into your show page:

Empathy by Design is where trauma-informed practice meets innovation, leadership, and human connection. Hosted by Julie Johnson and produced by the Integrate Trauma-Informed Network, the show explores how understanding trauma reshapes the spaces we create and the systems we lead—helping leaders, educators, and product designers integrate empathy from the inside out. In this episode, Julie is joined by longtime collaborator

Jenna Little—registered dietitian, trauma-informed yoga teacher, therapist, and creator of the Embodied Sound approach—to trace an East-meets-West path from nervous-system science to spiritual integration.

Please check out Jenna's Embodied Sound Training launching January 9

Together, they unpack why sound has surged as a gentle, precise tool for shifting state; how peak experiences and tiny moments both matter; and why “every sound is a signal of safety, and every pause an invitation for integration.”

You’ll hear how a sound journey arcs from Signal → Flow → Integration → Transmission; what resonance really means (accuracy and congruence, not just vibe); and how facilitators “lean back,” building buffers and resources so people can witness themselves—even when grief, parts work, or ancestral threads arise.

Jenna shares practical maps (the five elements, body–soul–spirit framing), playlist curation principles, and post-journey practices for carrying regulation into work, family, and leadership.

If you’re ready to go deeper, the award-winning Let’s Integrate App offers nervous-system practices, 30-minute Spiral Flows, and immersive workshops to build safety, emotional intelligence, and resilient teams—your spiral pathway to trauma-informed leadership and wellness. Lead with confidence.

Design with care. Live with intention. Visit letsintegrate.live. Because empathy isn’t just a feeling—it’s a design principle.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: 

Empathy by Design welcomes Janice Debo, a confidence, courage, and connection coach, for a deep dive into the art of trauma-informed leadership and personal development. Host Julie Johnson and Janice explore how empathy, courage, and confidence intertwine in both personal and professional growth. They discuss the cyclical nature of building confidence, overcoming people-pleasing, setting boundaries, and the importance of understanding your elemental personality in leadership. The conversation is filled with practical tools, personal stories, and inspiration for anyone seeking to lead with intention and authenticity.

Whether you’re a leader, educator, or creative, this episode offers actionable insights on integrating empathy into your systems, habits, and daily life. Plus, discover resources like the Courage, Confidence, and Connections Journal and the Let’s Integrate App to support your journey.

What does it look like to design human-centered systems—from the inside out?

In this episode of The By Design Podcast, Julie Johnson sits down with Chasen Forehand, Executive Director of HR4U, to explore how empathy, trauma awareness, and community can transform both workplaces and lives.

Chasen shares his deeply personal journey from trauma and addiction to founding HR4U and Transformation Kitchen—a program that breaks cycles of poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity through living-wage jobs, emotional wellness, and reskilling.

Together, Julie and Chaso unpack:

What “empathy by design” looks like in real-world HR systems

How trauma and overwhelm shape behavior (and how we can meet that with compassion)

Why “hand up, not handout” changes everything

The link between DBT, Tiny Habits, and sustainable recovery

The power of reskilling as both healing and empowerment

💛 Because healing systems starts with healing people—and every spiral forward begins with empathy.

Listen now on The Empathy By Design Podcast wherever you tune in.

Follow Chason Forehand on LinkedIn

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Tiny, well-placed practices—what we call Tiny Signals—can gently rewire the nervous system. In this episode, Julie and therapist Sarah O’Brien, LCSW blend BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits, polyvagal theory, and DBT to show how micro-moments become durable skills for self-soothing, boundaries, and repair. Expect clear examples you can use today, from a one-breath phone pause to a hum on the exhale after tough calls.

If 2017–2024 was the era of boundaries, let 2025 be the year of rupture and repair—with ourselves and each other. Julie introduces Tiny Signals, micro-practices anchored to daily routines that cue “safe enough” in the body. Guest Sarah O’Brien, LCSW maps those signals onto DBT—Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness—showing why validation and predictability matter more than motivation. Learn how to insert 30-second resets into real life (inbox urgency, co-parenting calls, late-night doom-scrolling) and why great digital health design must go beyond content libraries to scaffold behavior change.

You’ll learn:

Why predictability wires safety better than willpower

How DBT validation keeps the learning channel open

Two plug-and-play practices: the phone pause breath and a post-call hum

A 7-day Tiny Signals Starter Pack you can begin tonight

How to hold boundaries without absorbing other people’s urgency

Try it now: Place a hand on chest and belly. Inhale through the nose, hum the exhale. Whisper: “Yes. I have time.”

00:00 Welcome & why “start small, spiral deeper”

Transcript

Sarah O’Brien, LCSW is a trauma-informed therapist, writer, and trainer based in Virginia specializing in anxiety, substance use, and trauma-related disorders, with deep experience delivering and teaching DBT.

People with lived trauma experience, clinicians, educators, HR/benefits leaders, and anyone who wants nervous-system care that is doable, ethical, and compassionate.

Explore Daily Tiny Signals, Flows, and Immersives in the Integrate app

Find Sarah O’Brien, LCSW via the Integrate Affinity Group or her site.

Subscribe to Empathy by Design for more trauma-informed, behavior-design conversations.

Keywords: Tiny Habits, Polyvagal Theory, DBT, Trauma-Informed, Nervous System, Behavior Design, Validation, Distress Tolerance, Boundaries, Digital Health Design

What do app design and the human nervous system have in common? More than you think.

In this episode, I explore why the real challenge in digital health isn’t access to tools, but creating *behavior change that lasts.* We’ll look at how tiny habits — like a single breath, a hum, or a moment with nature — can build trust and regulation, and why layering content like a curriculum helps people move from awareness → application → integration.

Drawing from behavior science, trauma-informed design, and empathic AI, I share how we’ve been building the **Nervous System Journey** inside the Integrate app: starting small, scaffolding gradually, and moving toward immersive practices that repair, restore, and rebuild resilience.

✨ Key themes in this episode:

* Why structure and pacing matter more than sheer content

Healing doesn’t happen in straight lines — it happens in spirals. And when apps mirror how nervous systems actually learn and adapt, they can become more than tools. They can become trusted guides for resilience.

👉 Tune in, and let’s rethink digital health through the lens of empathy, behavior change, and nervous system design.

On this episode of the Empathy by Design podcast, host Julie Johnson is joined by Sarah O'Brien, Katie Kurtz, and community manager Fihmiya Hamdan for an insightful conversation on embodying trauma-informed leadership in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. Together, they explore the essence of leading with authenticity, building resilience, and fostering inclusion within organizational culture.

Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on shifting leadership frameworks to prioritize trust and safety, starting with the fundamental question, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?” The discussion dives into how authenticity becomes the bedrock of impactful leadership and how aligning actions with values creates thriving, connected teams.

Katie Kurtz sheds light on redefining resilience—not as endurance, but as nervous system care and co-regulation practices that strengthen both individuals and organizations. The episode also touches on the balance between technological innovation and genuine human connection, emphasizing the importance of intentionality and usability in mental health-focused initiatives.

Concluding with actionable insights on shaping inclusive, psychologically safe cultures, this conversation is a must-listen for leaders who aim to foster belonging while navigating complexity. Subscribe to Empathy by Design to join the movement of leadership that empowers both people and purpose.

Follow our Guests: Katie Kurtz, Sarah O'Brien

Transcript

In this episode of Empathy By Design, host Julie welcomes Sarit Zimmerman Rogers, a body-based somatic experiencing practitioner. They discuss the upcoming monthly workshop 'Unpacking Loss' on June 28th, which will explore working through grief with a somatic and trauma-informed lens. The conversation delves into various methods of addressing grief, highlighting the importance of empathy, body-based techniques, and emotional intelligence. They also talk about how different approaches, including yoga and sound healing, come together to support individuals navigating grief and loss. Listeners are encouraged to join the workshop and take advantage of available financial assistance if needed.

00:00 Introduction to Empathy By Design

Episode Transcript

Learn more about Integrate Trauma Informed Network

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Navigating Grief: Insights and Practices with Karla Halbert In this episode of 'Empathy By Design,' host Julie Johnson engages in a profound discussion with grief activist and yoga therapist Carla Halbert. They dive into the unique facets of grief, including how it intertwines with trauma, and explore how practices such as yoga, chakra work, and somatic exercises can help in navigating the complex emotional landscape of loss. Karla also shares details about an upcoming workshop on June 28th, 2025, focused on grieving through mind, body, and energetic lenses. They delve into personal stories, the importance of safe spaces for healing, and the broader cultural challenges of addressing grief. The episode is richly layered with insights on creating supportive environments, using intuitive practices like herbalism, and fostering ongoing relationships with the departed. 00:00 Introduction and Workshop

Announcement 01:48

Welcome to Empathy By Design 02:34 Introducing

Karla Halbert

03:25 Karla's Work and Philosophy on Grief

05:48 Creating Safe Spaces for Grief

09:24 The Importance of Sensory and Safe Environments

12:09 Exploring Somatics and Sensory Engagement

19:23 The Impact of Grief on the Nervous System

24:28 Reorienting After Loss 28:30 Navigating Personal Grief

29:35 The Individuality of Grief 31:02 Safe Spaces for Grief

34:58 Understanding Fear and Anxiety

44:01 The Healing Power of Herbs

53:13 Connecting with Nature

55:36 Upcoming Events and Resources

Episode Transcript

Read more about Integrate Trauma Informe Network

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Description

In this episode of the Empathy By Design Podcast, we discuss the importance of creating trauma-informed spaces and the skills necessary for effective trauma-informed care. The featured guest, Katie Kurtz, a trauma-informed care expert and member of the Affinity Group, shares her journey and expertise in trauma-informed leadership and training. Katie emphasizes the importance of understanding human experiences, the nervous system, and the implementation of actionable strategies and skills. She also highlights how the context of the world, capacity of individuals, and fostering trust and adaptability are crucial in implementing trauma-informed principles. The conversation touches on the evolution of trauma-informed practices, critical thinking, and the role of self-regulation. Katie also mentions her upcoming projects, including the introduction of a Trauma-Informed Leadership Workshop and Training Institute.

Check out Katie's Work

Katie's Podcat: A Trauma Informed Future

More about our Affinity Group

Katie is a valued member of our Trauma-Informed Leadership Affinity Group, a unique community dedicated to advancing trauma-informed care and leadership skills. If you’ve been looking for a space to grow alongside like-minded professionals, we’d love to welcome you!

Our next Live Training for the Trauma-Informed Leadership Course Certification begins August 8th. This program is designed to fit your needs, offering a fast-track option that allows you to complete the course in just 4-6 weeks. Prefer to go at your own pace? We also offer a self-paced version, giving you up to six months to complete the course from the date of purchase.

By becoming a part of the Affinity Group, you’ll join our premier community of practice, where members actively work together to apply the trauma-informed skills taught in our course. Members also enjoy exclusive opportunities to serve as facilitators and class instructors within our app, deepening their expertise while contributing to this meaningful work